


Sky Lights (and the people under them)

by FixerRefutation



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bday fic, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Party, Stars, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, its oumasai, more tags to be added i just cant remember right now lol, technically its Saihara/ all his ships but at the end of the day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 08:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15926762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FixerRefutation/pseuds/FixerRefutation
Summary: Everyone's been acting strange today.Not in a bad way, but..Shuichi's a bit suspicious.





	Sky Lights (and the people under them)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Shuichi!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~this took three hours to make and i was so late lol~~

Shuichi is unusually relaxed today. The halls have been quiet save for the occasional person calling him out to say hi or accompany him to different places before leaving. It’s...not an _unwelcome_ change, per say, but it leaves him a bit suspicious nonetheless.

 

After all, when Kirumi brings him breakfast in bed because she said it was her _duty_ even when she’d never done that before, he’s surprised, but accepts things anyway. The maid’s satisfied smile is enough to make him satisfied with the oolong tea, gyoza, and the astro cake heaped on the tray.

 

Then, as soon as he finishes, Kiibo’s there, waving him over awkwardly and smiling, talking to him excitedly about the new updates Miu added to his software, including the camera system and the strange addition of a confetti generator.

Kiibo relaxes with him under the shade, talking until the the robot’s ‘school insignia’ beeped, and he apologized, saying that his battery drained a bit fast today.

Shuichi sat under the tree for a while longer, waving sleepily at Gonta as the giant passed by him, probably looking for bugs.

 

He decides that maybe.. It wouldn’t be so bad if he just..took a nap here for a while.

 

-

 

Light invades his vision as the sun changes its position, and he winces at the glow that’s suddenly in his face. It’s warm at his side, strangely comforting, and he tries to move, only to realize that his arm seems to have been held down by something-someone.

He looks down nervously, wishing to any god out there that it wasn’t Tenko and the others didn’t try that prank again. A pale face and wayward purple hair tickles the underside of his chin, and takes his other hand to bat it away.

 

As soon as he touches it, though, he’s enamored by the sheer _softness_ of it. It’s a bit thin, but there's no knots in it, and it’s warm, almost lavender-like.

 

..AH WAIT-

 

He tilts his head forward, and Kokichi goes down with him, looking relaxed, eyes closed, eyelashes conveniently highlighted by the- afternoon? Morning?- sun.

“Oh..” he whispers, voice not fully _there_ yet. He shakes the leader lightly. “Ouma-kun..? It’s time to wake up now.” Said boy mumbles, the only legible words being _shu_ and _panta_. “Ouma-kun..?” The detective tentatively repositions his arms to lift the teenager that, even in his sleep, clung onto his arm like a koala.

It’s a long and awkward while before Shuichi is able to get Kokichi in his arms, and even then, he’s honestly surprised at how long Kokichi’s been sleeping. He does note the hastily concealed eyebags that are just under his eyes, and hopes Kokichi is having pleasant dreams as the boy nuzzles into his clothing.

  
Eventually, Kokichi _does_ wake up, and Shuichi’s almost disappointed that he doesn’t have a reason to carry the warm leader.

 

He begins to feel the warm burn starting up in his face as Kokichi blinks at him, almost surprised with those _big doe eyes and gosh-_

 

All the leader did was move out of his arms with a light swath of pink decorating his ears, and looks away for a moment before he turns back, looking almost happier than before.

They bicker for a bit, as Kokichi was determined to prove that Shuichi was _at least_ bi, and while Shuichi isn’t exactly _denying_ it, he’s still a bit indignant that that’s the first topic Kokichi thinks to speak on as soon as he woke up.

Then, Kaito arrives and clasps a warm hand on Shuichi’s shoulders, and Kokichi regards the both of them with some kind of resigned warmth before moving his arms behind his head and chirping that he should go talk to Angie.

  
Kaito quietly mutters that Kokichi should join them if he wanted, and Shuichi relays it in a louder, more hopeful voice. The leader stops for a moment before moving farther away, ignoring them. Kaito looks out at Kokichi a little mournfully before asking Shuichi to the AV Room.

 

“..okay.”

 

As soon as Kaito turns off the lights, he takes something from his galaxy jacket, and suddenly, constellations decorate the ceiling, the movies, even the couch.  The astronaut points out the Orion, proudly stating the backstory for it before moving on to the next star as Shuichi watches on. Maki joins after ten minutes, and they watch Kaito hit the star projector multiple times as the astronaut shuffles around.

Miu both scares and traumatizes him with her many sexual innuendos as they walk to her pace. She drops him off to Rantaro, who looks a bit surprised but nonetheless expectant. He lets Shuichi accompany him around the school, helping the others with their happenings.

 

Usually, it was rather easy (Himiko and Tsumugi just wanted some flowers for cosplaying and magic and the like), and occasionally, it was hard. (Kiyo wanted the two of them to help him saw out a floorboard for an experiment; when the anthropologist went back to his lab to attain a few materials, they began to balance things on the board, measuring which person was heavier).

They stop in front of the Pianist’s lab, where Kaede ushers him in, looking excited about a new composition she’d claimed she made herself. He listens as the soft euphony of the chords take him in, what sounded like a constant, soft _ting_ emanating from the piano where she sat.

 

Her hands fly across the keys, louder and softer all at once, and he _absolutely loves it._

 

Kaede finishes in a flurry of excitement, laughing and gesturing nonsensically to the piano as she claps her hands together. It’s honestly pretty cute. He waits patiently for the ecstatic pianist to calm down.  
  
Eventually, she’d able to talk in words, and explained sheepishly. “That was the first time it _actually_ worked! I couldn’t get the goshdarn trills in, and even if I did, I think i practiced so much i forgot the actual notes, haha..”

“I see...do you want to go anywhere or-” she glows for a moment before laughing and waving him away. “I’m sorry, I promised Kiru-Tojo-san that I would help her with-” she stops for an exact millisecond. “With dinner!”

 

“Akamatsu-san...it’s not even lunch yet.”

  
She giggles in embarrassment before replying. “Dinner takes a long time to prepare, you know! I usually help Tojo-san with that, so-” She’s out of the door, escaping down the hallways as she finishes. “Bye, Saihara-kun-!”

He stares at her retreating back in confusion before going away to find his lab. It’s not his favorite place to be in, but the couch and the fire that crackled in the fireplace was calming, and it had felt so long since he was under that cool tree with Kiibo, with Kokichi.

 

-

 

“Shuichi…” a soft voice shakes him awake. “Shuichi… it’s time for dinner.” He stirs, wiping his eyes slowly. Kiibo is in front of him, and Kaito’s in the background, waiting for him to wake up fully.

“Ehhmm..?” He mutters in confusion, still half awake with a Sherlock Holmes book covering half his face. A soft, almost robotic laugh, and Kaito’s in front of him this time. “Come on, sidekick. Ya gotta have energy for tonight’s training, right?” He lets them lead him over to the dining hall, where the lights are dark and the only light source is from the windows, which are stained with the soft pink-yellows of the glowing sunset.

 

Had they come so early, no one was there yet..?  
  
But no, he remembers, thinking of Kaede’s excuse.

So he moves to turn on the light, and when he does-  
  
“Happy birthday!” Out popped twelve other ultimates. The dining hall is decorated with a mess of gifts, some clothes, some stuffed animals, and others from the MonoMono machine. A hammock with a bow on it was propped up in between the vibrant green plants of the floor, and food was heaped on the table.  
  
All he could do was gape at first. It was...how long had it been since he’d had people other than his uncle around him?  
  
Then, everyone seemed a bit alarmed at the coldness of his cheeks. “Uh, sidekick?” Kaito inquired, poking at the detective’s cheek. “You..okay?”  
  
He looked at those twelve, and for a moment, he wouldn’t believe what he was seeing. He wiped his face is his sleeve, albeit messily, and smiles up at Kaito, laughing a bit. “I’d.. actually forgotten about my birthday, haha.. I’ve never been better.”

 

The party lasts until the stars are out, Kiibo (or rather, Himiko and Gonta) makes full use of his confetti generator, and Shuichi finally understands why everyone was passing him out to each other so often. Kirumi further explains. “We found you were more comfortable around Kiibo, Amami, Momota, Akamatsu, and Harukawa as of late, and planned accordingly.”

 

He realizes that she doesn’t mention Kokichi.

 

Her light smile grows a bit confused. “..Though, I don’t think I’ve seen Ouma around lately. Is he alright?”

 

“I can..look for him.” He offers, having already blown out the candles and allowing everyone to eat a few of his presents to him.  
  
“I should, really. You _are_ the birthday teen here, after all-”

 

“No, really.” He pleads. “This party is _amazing_ , Tojo-san, but really, I think it would be better if _everyone_ ”, he gestures around the room. “Was here, including him. Please?”  
  
She thinks for a moment, then sighs. “Alright. I’ll cover for you. Please do come back quickly.”

 

He does an awkward little semi-bow as he thanks Kirumi, and he slips out of the dining room, successfully unnoticed.

 

-

 

 _Now,_ he thinks. _If I were Kokichi, where would I be?_ Not in his room. His lab hadn’t opened yet. Gonta nor Amami could confirm his whereabouts. A bit burnt out from all the excessive shenanigans at his birthday, he promises to reach the same tree where he sat with Kokichi. 

...And as luck would have it, Kokichi’s there, not leaning against the tree, but laying on his stomach, looking at the stars. Shuichi joins him, but the leader doesn’t react.

“So..” He attempts to begin. “Why weren’t you there? ..At the party, I mean.” A little scoff, and then Kokichi answers. “I don’t..like crowds.” Shuichi nods in realization. Fifteen people in one room were enough to scare him, but he didn’t know the range for the leader.

“..I see.” It takes a few more minutes until Shuichi starts talking again, trying to chase away the lingering nervousness. “Do..you..” He turns on his back and points to a constellation. “..see that?”

A little _nishishi,_ and Kokichi turns on his back as well,examining the dots in the indigo-black sky. “They’re just dots, y’know. Why would I even want to know, anyway? Ask the astronaut to go stargazing with you, not me.” But the’re a small lilt in the leader’s voice, and in that tiny sound, Shuichi knows that Kokichi is at the very least a _little_ bit interested. The detective begins to speak again, gaining confidence as he goes on and using Kaito’s knowledge to his advantage.

 

“That’s Cygnus. It’s..”

 

Kokichi remains quiet, uncharacteristically so, and lets Shuichi continue about with his talk of the stars.

 

“..what do you like about them?” the leader asked, sounding a bit off. “The stars.”

 

“Me?” Shuichi replies, a bit surprised. “Well, I mean..” He wishes he had his hat on as he lowers his head. “You’d laugh.” A sleepy, offended gasp escaped Kokichi as he insisted. “ _I would never!”_  
  
The detective laughs, shuffling closer to the nearest heat source. “But, to answer your question, I..I like how they’re always here. You never see anything in the city, with the pollution and such, y’know?”

 

“..Happy birthday, Shumai.” Kokichi whispers, violet eyes half closed. “See..? I named..a star after you. You’re..” He vaguely gestures to the sky. “That one.”

“You literally just waved at the entire sky.”  
  
“I know. You’re all those stars, Shumai.” Kokichi’s eyes droop even more, and he nestles into Shuichi’s striped clothes. “..i’m going to sleep..protect me, shu..” his voice drops in favor of a light snore, and Shuichi, a bit sleepy as well, holds Kokichi close, as if he were a pillow.

Kiibo joins their little cuddle, and gradually, so does everyone else, carting blankets and the like for a sleepover under the stars. (Korekiyo, Kirumi, and Ryoma joins in, Kirumi because of insistence, Korekiyo by force, and Ryoma because Gonta asked him to.)

 

It’s a quiet birthday, and the best as well.

**Author's Note:**

> "People who are dearest to you will stay by your side forever."


End file.
